ALL PRAISES AND THANKS TO ALLAH, LORD OF THE WORLDS!!
Most of us get nightmares and disturbing dreams, but little do we know what can be done about them or how we can avoid them. In today’s e-mail, let us see how can we cure nightmares ?
1. Dreams that disturb a person and keep him awake come from the Shaytaan. In general, the dreams that people see are either good dreams which come from Allah, a reflection of things which a person is thinking about, or a third type, which are dreams that come from the Shaytaan.
It was reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said:
“Towards the end of time, hardly any dreams that the Muslim sees will not come true. The one whose dreams are the most truthful will be the one whose speech is the most honest. The dreams of the Muslim form one of the forty-five parts of Prophecy. Dreams are of three types: the good dream which is good news from Allah; dreams which cause distress, which come from the Shaytaan; and dreams concerning matters which a person is thinking about…” [Narrated by Muslim, 2263]
2. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam)told us how to rid ourselves of the influence of Shaytaan during sleep. This can be achieved by reciting verses from the Qur’aan and du’aa’s narrated from him, before going to sleep.
It was reported that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam)put me in charge of guarding the zakaah of Ramadaan. Someone came and started to scatter the food. I took hold of him and said, ‘I will take you to the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) ’… He said, ‘When you go to bed, recite Aayat al-Kursi and you will be protected by Allah, and no shaytaan (devil) will come near you until morning.’ The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam)said, ‘He told you the truth even though he is a liar. That was a shaytaan.’” [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3101].
(a) It was reported that Abu Mas’ood al-Badri (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam)said: ‘The last two aayahs of Soorat al-Baqarah – whoever recites them at night, they will be sufficient for him.’” [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3786; Muslim, 807].
Al-Nawawi said: “Concerning the phrase, ‘The last two aayahs of Soorat al-Baqarah – whoever recites them at night, they will be sufficient for him’, it was said that it means, they will be sufficient for him instead of praying qiyaam al-layl, or as protection from Shaytaan, or as protection from vermin. It could mean all of these things.”
(Sharh Muslim, 6/91, 92).
(b) It was reported that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “When the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam)went to his bed, he would blow into his hands and recite Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad (Soorah 112) and the Mi’wadhatayn (Soorahs 113 and 114). Then he would wipe his hands over his face and his body, as far as they could reach.” ‘Aa’ishah said: “When he fell ill, He would ask me to do that for him.” [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5416; Muslim, 2192]
(c) It was reported that Abu Hurayrah said: “The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam)used to tell us, when any one of us wanted to sleep, to lie on his right side, then say‘Allahumma Rabb al-samaawaati wa Rabb al-ard wa Rabb al-‘Arsh il-‘Azeem, Rabbana wa Rabba kulli shay’in, faaliq al-habb wa’l-nawa wa munazzil al-Tawraata wa’l-Injeeli wa’l-Furaan, a’oodhu bika min sharri kulli shay’in anta aakhidhun bi naasiyatihi. Allahumma anta al-awwal fa laysa qablaka shay’un, wa anta al-aakhir fa laysa ba’daka shay’un. Wa anta al-zaahir fa laysa fawqaka shay’un wa anta al-baatin fa laysa doonaka shay’un. Iqdi ‘annaa al-dayna wa aghninaa min al-faqr (O Allah, Lord of the heavens and the earth, and Lord of the Mighty Throne, our Lord and Lord of all things, Splitter of the seed and the date stone, Revealer of the Tawraat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel) and the Furqaan (Qur’aan), I seek refuge in You from the evil of all things that You will seize by the forelock [i.e., have full control over them]. O Allah, You are the First and there is nothing before You; You are the Last and there is nothing after You. You are the Manifest (al-Zaahir) and there is nothing above You; You are the Hidden (al-Baatin) and there is nothing beyond You. Settle our debt and spare us from poverty).’” [Narrated by Muslim, 2713].
(d) It was reported that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Abu Bakr said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, teach me something that I can say in the morning and in the evening.’ He said:‘Say, Allahumma ‘Aalim al-ghaybi wa’l-shahaadah, Faatir al-samawaati wa’l-ard, Rabba kulli shay’in wa maleekahu, ashhadu an laa ilaaha illa anta. A’oodhi bika min sharri nafsi wa min sharr il-shaytaan wa shirkih (O Allah, Knower of the seen and the unseen, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Lord and Sovereign of all things, I bear witness that there is no god except You. I seek refuge in You from the evil of my own self and from the evil and shirk of the Shaytaan). Say this in the morning and in the evening, and when you go to bed.’” [Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3392; Abu Dawood, 5067].
3. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam)also taught us what to do when someone sees something unpleasant in a dream and wakes up as a result. That is: to spit drily to the left, to seek refuge with Allah from the Shaytaan, to change the side on which one was sleeping, and to pray if one wishes.
(a) It was reported that Abu Qutaadah said: “The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam)said: ‘Good dreams come from Allah and bad dreams come from the Shaytaan. If any one of you sees a bad dream which makes him afraid, let him spit drily to his left and seek refuge with Allah from its evil, then it will not harm him.” [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3118; Muslim, 2261].
(b) It was reported from Jaabir that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam)said: “If any one of you sees a dream that he dislikes, let him spit drily to his left three time, and seek refuge with Allah from the Shaytaan three times, and change the side on which he was sleeping.” [narrated by Muslim, 2262].
(c) It was reported that Abu Hurayrah said: “The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam)said: ‘If any one of you sees something that he dislikes (in a dream), let him get up and pray, and not tell people about it.’” [narrated by Muslim, 2263]
If the Muslim follows this advice given by the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) before he goes to bed, it is hoped that no shaytaan will come anywhere near him, and if he follows this advice when he wakes up from a bad dream, it will take away all anxiety and distress from him.
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
With Best Wishes
